Paloma Migone digs into the cold cases of those who never came home. In episode one, Robyn Jensen says she'll never give up hope of finding her daughter, Kirsa.

This series was first released on 3 November 2017

Watch a video segment from the episode here

Time is running out for Robyn Jensen.

The 72 year-old hasn't seen her daughter, Kirsa, in more than 34 years.

Kirsa was 14 when she went missing while riding her horse, Commodore, along a Napier beach on the first day of spring in 1983. The terrible story gripped the country for weeks, months, years. Teenage girls weren't meant to just disappear in broad daylight. Not here. Not like this. Yet while the mystery remains unsolved, Robyn's questions just remain. What happened to Kirsa, the animal-loving teenage girl who would be 49 next month?

Despite the passage of time, Robyn's determination to find her daughter hasn't faded - it's only become more urgent. Rather than time being a healer, it's opening a new wound as the fear grows her own life could end before she's able to put Kirsa to rest.

"She's my daughter. She is just so very precious to me and the longer it goes, the harder it is because one day I may be dead and she may not be found.

"To be able to locate her and put her in a decent place, to rest forever, is vitally important to me."

Robyn has spoken with RNZ as part of a new podcast, The Lost, which looks into some of the country's missing persons cases.

"There is a whole new generation of people who don't know or haven't heard or know that there was a girl in Napier that something happened to," she says.

Robyn describes her daughter Kirsa as a serious and dedicated child, who adored animals and dreamed of being a vet and a rider for the New Zealand equestrian team.

"When I think of her, I think curls and bubbles and laughter and responsibility," she says. "Generous and kind and putting others first, but so dedicated to what she wanted to do. She would have done anything for an animal."

Before her disappearance, the family was living in Napier, as Kirsa's father, Dan, was the Anglican minister at St Augustine's Church. Kirsa had been volunteering at a local vet clinic and training Commodore for the upcoming Hawke's Bay Royal A&P Show during the school holidays…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The true stories of New Zealand's missing people. Paloma Migone digs into the cold cases of those who never came home.

Watch a video version of the trailer here

This series first published in May 2017.

Every year, thousands of New Zealanders go missing. On average about one every hour.

Most are found quickly. But some are never seen again. They are the lost.

RNZ's new five-part podcast, The Lost, digs into some of those missing persons cases and talks to the families about their quest for answers and the hole left by those who have disappeared.

Where are they? And will they ever be found?

"There are more questions than answers. And there continues to be more questions than answers."

The first episode is on Kirsa Jensen, a 14-year-old girl who went missing while riding her horse along a Napier beach in 1983.

Her story gripped the country for weeks as New Zealanders wrestled with how a young girl could go missing in broad daylight. Kirsa and her horse Commodore became household names, but the police are still searching. Despite the years, her mother, Robyn, is still desperate to find her.

She says with time, it's become harder to cope with her loss.

"One day I may be dead and she may not be found," she says.

"To be able to locate her and put her in a decent place, to rest forever, is vitally important to me."

And next week, The Lost explores the case of Judy Yorke, a mother-of-two who was last seen at an orchard party in Matapihi in 1992.

Someone must know where they are. Is that someone you?

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Peter Ellis was released from prison in 2000 - but that was by no means the end of the story. This episode looks at life after prison and the huge impact this case has had on the whole country.

This series was first released on 12 October 2023.

To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.

We'll never be sure what happened when Peter Ellis worked at the Christchurch Civic Creche that lead to the shocking accusations by some of the children who went there.

Over 30 years later we reveal personal and often painful appraisals by key players whose lives have been changed forever by the case and the events surrounding it. And just months before his death, what is Peter's perspective on the perfect storm that he was the centre of?

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Peter Ellis spent more than seven years in prison, for a crime he says he didn't commit. He and others describe his time behind bars and the many surprises and revelations he faced.

This series was first released on 11 October 2023.

To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.

Peter Ellis is found guilty of 16 counts of abuse in relation to 7 children and is sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The shock of life in a Maximum Security prison is profound, but there is also help and support from surprising quarters. Then, after 15 months, one of the most credible complainant children retracts her evidence and an appeal is planned. Is this a chance at hope?

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Tensions run high as the High Court trial of Peter Ellis reaches its conclusion.

This series was first released on October 2023.

To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, visit the RNZ website here.

The trial grinds on, loyalties are tested, and a sense of exhaustion sets in.

Are there, as Ellis and his supporters claim, abuses of power by key witnesses such as leading child psychologist Karen Zelas, key members of the police team, and some of the complainant parents? Is there medical evidence of the abuse? And will Rob Harrison, the defence lawyer, call Peter Ellis to the stand?

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The High Court trial into child abuse at the Christchurch Civic Creche begins on Monday, 26 April, 1993. Peter Ellis is charged with 28 counts against 13 children.

This series was first released on October 2023.

To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.

Peter Ellis's friends rally round to help him scrub up his image and the trial begins.

As the High Court trial opens, Peter Ellis finds himself before a conservative Catholic judge and a compromised jury with personal connections to some of the complainants.

The tension and divisions this case has engendered has serious consequences.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

As the divisions in the community intensify, one year on from those first allegations, the preliminary court hearing against Peter Ellis and the four women begins.

This series was first released on October 2023.

To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.

Together the five child care workers face 60 charges of sexual offending against 20 children.

Over 11 weeks, dozens of people give evidence, from the children and their families to police, other creche teachers and various experts.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Four female creche workers are arrested in a series of raids on their homes. A damning report into the creche culture is release and the child care centre is abruptly closed.

This series was first released on October 2023.

To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the website here.

By late 1992, four female creche workers had also been accused of abuse and arrested by police.

Debbie Gillespie and Marie Keys describe the day the police knocked on their doors and all the woman talk about the impact of their arrests.

Then, out of the blue, the creche is closed leaving many creche staff wondering if they'll be next.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The children's stories get more and more bizarre and suddenly, others are in the frame too.

This series was first released on 4 October 2023.

To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.

By October 1992, 119 children have been interviewed and their allegations range from violent nude dancing to rape and murder.

Expert opinion varies on why children would make up such claims, but the parents couldn't imagine where the ideas would come from, unless the children had experienced horrific abuse.

And more disclosures mean more suspects - four other creche teachers and Peter Ellis' mother are accused of being involved.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

As more and more children come forward with accounts of abuse, we look at what the role the parents, police and expert child interviewers may have played.

This series was first released on 3 October 2023.

To see more images and details about Peter Ellis and the series, vist the RNZ website here.

What's happening for the 3 to 5 year old children at the centre of the investigation, some of whom are put through hours of questioning by professionals feeling their way in a relatively new field?

How could happy, healthy, innocent kids come up with such distressing, and at times wildly fantastical stories? Memory specialists and child psychologists discuss the merits of children's testimony.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details